I am still moaning about the Beeb hiving opera and ballet to BBC4 and if I had not been able to watch this opera because of my lack of digital, I would have been seriously pissed off. Sat down tonight with cup of tea and large box of chocolates donated to me over the weekend by a kind good friend and entered over two hours of sheer unadulterated bliss. The last time I saw this extremely daft opera, La Fille du Regiment, was at Covent Garden back in the mid-60's starring Joan Sutherland and the then very new, 
very slim, very sensational Luciano Pavarotti. Joan, wildly unsuitable really in the main role as she was, let's face it, rather large for the part of the young girl adopted by an entire regiment, but of course it is a coloratura role and her voice sublime.
The role of Tonio, the young rather gormless Tyrolean, who falls in love with Marie was perfect for Pav. In the first act we have the famously difficult aria for the tenor with NINE top C's. Pav threw these off with such gay abandon he was immediately christened King of the High C's (yes I know... it is cheesy) a title he retained for the rest of his career. Juan Diego sang this aria with effortless ease and with a huge grin on his face and I found myself beaming and cheering in front of the TV. The audience of course went stark staring mad after the final note and the applause went on and on, it was eventually edited short and the opera 
continued, but I did read in the reviews that the cheering would not stop and he had to sing it AGAIN. So I think he can now safely be called the King of the High 18 C's. Nathalie Desay sang the role of Marie and almost made me forget Dame Joan as not only did she have a simply stunning voice, but she was also very very funny with a great sense of comic timing.
Dawn French had a cameo role in the new production at the Royal Opera House and she introduced this transmission herself and was, of course, also very funny (the critics disagreed) she played the part of the Duchess of Crackenthorp very well and amusingly and did not, thank goodness, go over the top which is always a worry with Dawn, but no Vicar of Dibley bits here. At curtain call time when she commented on those taking their bow and it came to Juan Diego 'oh look here is the supremely gorgeous Juan Diego' and ' he might just be my new serious boyfriend you know' and 'lovely head of hair' and I have to agree with her, he really is utterly divine. Now I don't want you thinking I watched this particular opera purely for him alone, oh no, as a serious opera lover I am above such things it is culture all the way, and just in case you think I am telling porkies here is a picture of the man himself. Now you take one look at him and you know full well that I take him very seriously as an opera singer, I watch and listen to him purely for his art alone, his top C's, his acting, his wit, his charm...
You don't believe me do you?
Not surprised really. O be still my beating heart......
